New partnership will accelerate the digital switchover process and strengthen SES’s leading role in providing free-to-air, direct-to-home services

24 May 2016 – SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), a world-leading satellite operator, today announced that SES Platform Services (SES PS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, has strengthened its partnership with K-NET, an ICT and Telecoms platform services company based in Ghana, to create a joint venture. The new partnership will contract SES capacity, SES PS’s and K-NET’s services, and aim to bring high picture quality content to the homes of millions of viewers by strengthening the direct-to-home (DTH) platform and also providing digital terrestrial television (DTT) services via SES’s prime orbital position at 28.2 degrees East.

The joint venture will use SES’s high-powered satellite capacity, K-NET’s highly-efficient teleport services and SES PS’s reliable video platform services. This partnership will offer a unified bouquet of high quality free-to-air (FTA) and free-to-view (FTV) channels, from all over West Africa, as well as some popular international channels, to millions of viewers in the region.

The partnership will ensure that consumers, especially in Ghana where 98%[1] of satellite households are serviced by SES satellites, receive newer and higher quality viewing formats and also have access to connected services when they become available.

Wilfried Urner, CEO of SES Platform Services, said, “We are proud to be K-NET’s partner of choice. We are at the forefront of the provision of FTA and FTV channels in the sub region and driving further DTH penetration in various West African countries. The partnership will further accelerate the globalisation of SES’s video business, increase our channel growth and establish us as a world-leading next generation video and media service provider.”

Richard Hlomador, Chairman of K-Net says, “We have worked with SES since 2001 and are pleased to be able to extend our partnership with SES Platform Services. We have built a robust DTH platform, and delivering content in consistently high-quality is a top priority for us. This makes SES Platform Services the ideal partner of choice.”

SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the satellite industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

SES holds a participation in O3b Networks, a next generation satellite network combining the reach of satellite with the speed of fibre.

SES Platform Services GmbH brings the highest quality audiovisual content - linear and non – linear- on any device, in any format, through any distribution channel. SES Platform Services supports television stations, production companies and platform operators with a comprehensive portfolio of services in the implementation of their business models. All services are consistently focused on the digital value chains of its customers. With more than 500 satellite, cable or Internet channels and thousands of hours of video content that is delivered to video on demand platforms monthly, SES Platform Services is a leading technical media service provider in Europe. The company serves more than 150 customers, including public and private broadcasting groups, pay-TV providers, rights owners, cable operators and large enterprises.

About K-NET

K-NET, (www.knetgh.com) is an indigenous international Telecom platform service provider, Teleport Operator and system integrator headquartered in Accra, Ghana. KNET was founded in 1996 and is 100% Ghanaian owned.

KNET operates a large MPLS core backbone network with several Point of Presence (POPs) throughout Ghana, interconnected using a combination of diverse fibre and high-capacity SDH microwave links. KNETs Network Operation Centre (NOC) and Teleport is located at McCarthy Hill in Accra, which has diverse connections to multiple international POPs. KNET provides last-mile connectivity to customer locations based on one of several access technologies, including fibre, DSL, point-to-point microwave, WiMAX and VSAT. The state-of-the-art McCarthy Hill Teleport hosts VSAT platforms, with capacity on the SES Astra 2F satellite, providing ubiquitous coverage over West and Central Africa. KNET specializes in the provision of high-reliability B2B network services for government, large corporate and small/medium enterprise clients.

KNET also provides Ghana’s main TV uplink facility from its McCarthy Hill teleport, from where it provides services to multiple television channel operators.

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